An apparent Iranian attack on a fully loaded Kuwaiti crude oil tanker at Dubai Port in the United Arab Emirates sparked a fire that was later extinguished, authorities reported. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) stated early on Tuesday that the Al Salmi tanker was struck in an Iranian attack while anchored at the port, causing damage to the vessel and a fire on board.
The Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA reported that KPC warned of a possible oil spill in surrounding waters. Authorities in Dubai said there was a drone attack on the Kuwaiti oil tanker overnight, and response teams had contained the incident. According to the Dubai Media Office, no oil leakage or injuries were reported.
Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Dubai, said multiple loud explosions were heard in the city, starting at around 6 or 7 p.m. local time on Monday until about 1 or 2 a.m. on Tuesday. He stated, “These attacks seem to be getting closer, they’re getting louder, and one of them hit that oil tanker off the coast of the waters of Dubai.” Basravi added that people are certainly on high alert again, and military jets can be heard overhead patrolling the skies.
Work is now underway to assess damage to the tanker, said KPC. According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data, KPC is the parent company of Al Salmi’s registered owner and commercial operator. The tanker was loaded with two million barrels of oil from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, per data from Lloyd’s and TankerTrackers; Lloyd’s listed the destination as Qingdao, China.
The strike on the Al Salmi is the latest in a string of assaults on merchant vessels by missiles or explosive air and sea drones in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel’s war on Iran began on February 28. Earlier on Monday, maritime security experts said a Greek-owned container ship off the coast of Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura reported two separate incidents where projectiles hit water near the vessel.
Meanwhile, the operator of a Thai cargo ship struck by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz said a search team was able to board the vessel but did not locate its three missing crew members. The Mayuree Naree was disabled after being hit just north of Oman earlier this month.
Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina, reporting from Kuwait City on Tuesday, said there have been “numerous attacks” across the Gulf in the last several hours, including in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain. He noted, “In the UAE, four people suffered minor injuries in Dubai’s Al Badaa area.” “And Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain all announced they’ve been attacked overnight and have intercepted missiles and drones.”
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 10 drones and eight ballistic missiles during a new wave of attacks. The Saudi Defense Ministry stated on X, “Ten drones were intercepted and destroyed over the past few hours,” citing a ministry spokesperson. It added that seven ballistic missiles targeting the Riyadh region and one aimed at the Eastern Province were also intercepted and destroyed.
Iran’s foreign minister on Tuesday insisted that Tehran’s attacks on the Gulf Arab states only target US forces, even after assaults have hit civilian targets throughout the region. Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X, “Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation,” sharing a photo purportedly showing damage to a US aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in the kingdom. He claimed, “Our operations are aimed at enemy aggressors who have no respect for Arabs or Iranians, nor can provide any security… High time to eject US forces.”
Source: www.aljazeera.com